spring equinox

i deleted parts of the previous post. it's been a couple days and i any of you who regularly read this have already read it. i had a moment of fear that person would somehow come across my blog and recognize himself.

today is the first day of spring. it was supposed to be completely sunny and a high of 70. well, it was pretty cloudy most of the day, and then late in the afternoon a few patches of blue sky peeked through, but it was not a sunny day. i think the temperature got in the upper 60s, but it felt cooler than i was hoping for.

nevertheless, it's an ongoing tradition of rita's frozen custard to give away a free regular italian ice on the first day of spring. so, of course, we took advantage of it. i even let alena have her own kids' size treat. of course, i then dumped 1/2 of it in my own cup... it was like an 8 oz cup! but she did get plenty! and loved it!!

the first day of spring is also my dad's birthday. this year, he turns 65. i'm trying not to let that bother me, but that's kind of the official "old" age. in 5 years, he'll be 70. that IS old! and 5 years will come quickly! of course, i'm only 29 and think i'm too young to think about my parents getting old, but the fact is, i'm the daughter. so their care will probably fall to me. of course, my dad's dad lived to be 92, and my other 3 grandparents were well into their 80s (and lifetime smokers) when they died, so my parents could have 30 more years, and that's double my current lifetime. but these next 30 years won't be the same as the first 30.

but back to the present. happy birthday, daddy. he isn't perfect, but he's one of the most passionate, sincere, honest, hard working people i know. he's a lover of knowledge and is always open to hearing another's view and has been known to debate a topic, call a truce, sleep on it, and then admit that he was wrong or has changed his mind or at least respects the other person's position. i find this highly admirable, and it's a trait he hasn't always had. he loves the Lord and his family and absolutely adores my mom--his high school sweetheart. he knows so much about everything--cars, houses, nature, farming, the Bible and stories of dreams and failures behind businesses (do you know the stories of Ford, JC Penney, Firestone, the Wright Brothers, Sam Walton? my dad does..) i so wish i could download his brain. there are so many things i don't even to think to ask him that he knows. yet, to look at him, you would see a simple, stubborn country boy from southern ohio. at the end of the day, he's my daddy and i love him with the full love that little girls are to supposed to have for their daddies.

enjoy spring, the warmer weather, longer days and brighter sunshine that makes my world go around is on the way!